Confab europe 2014 Christopher Strebel

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 20141 |

Escaping the Peter Pan approach to content

management

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 20142 |

• Background

• Managing web content doesn’t exist (like Neverland)

• Goes up instantly (like flying with pixie dust)

• Anyone can do it (any child that is)

• Before: web technology-based Now: content-based (so its child’s play)

Why Neverland?

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 20143 |

Learning objectives

• Challenges of managing web content at WHO

• A multifaceted approach to manage and improve web content

• Moving from content posters to content managers

Content approaches some that have worked at the World Health Organization (WHO), some that haven’t; all within the prism of taking Wendy out of Neverland and back to reality.

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 20144 |

Some questions

• Why does Captain Hook not like Peter Pan?

• To some web content is a challenge to their technical content, dumbing down of information. How to avoid this?

• How to show the benefit of what can’t be seen?

• Who keeps the Captain in check?

• Who keeps the doubters in check?

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 20145 |

Legacy content  

• What about all that old content?

• It’s simple really

• The old content is not my responsibility

• If I can’t see it is not there

• Just how much can you manage?

• WHO 80,000 pages

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 20146 |

WHO legacy content

• Content life cycle

• Update, archive, delete

• Focusing on SEO, usability and accessibility

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 20147 |

Websites and content are magic

• A sprinkle of pixie dust and you can fly

• Creating content is easy

• Drafting content is fast and cheap

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 20148 |

• An exploding bomb- work can be done in seconds and everything is an emergency even if you had year to prepare.

• Getting content online is fast

• There is no tagging and linking

Fast is not fast enough

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 20149 |

Even faster

• No longer play time you won’t be let out of here until you deliver

• Content posting is the end of the line

• If things are posted quickly that will make everything alright

• We can go fast because errors only matter on paper

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 201410 |

No focus

• Too many audiences

• Tinker bell, Wendy, Mermaids, Tiger Lily

• One size doesn’t fit all

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 201411 |

Captain James Hook

Stopping Wendy from returning to reality

Cutting down simple content

Good content is a threat• undermines their work• takes away resources• is a distraction

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 201412 |

• Get out of Neverland

• Get back to reality

Back to reality

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tower_Bridge_opening_at_night_for_a_ferry.jpg

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 201413 |

• Conservative companies• Entrenched work flows• Politics• Top down doesn’t always work• But neither does bottom up

• Changes that will work but not change business Why? Because of people

• User friendly changes are not a requirement, it’s a necessity

People Components

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 201414 |

Experts are no longer trusted

• Doctors (and experts) were trusted and respected and the source of all medical advice

• Our patients took our advice

• No one complained about our communications

Dr Gaya gamhevage:

http://ec.europa.eu/energy/nuclear/radiation_protection/doc/scientific_seminar/2013/gamhevage_risk_communication_2013.pdf

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 201415 |

Good content challenge

Speed vs value

Reactive vs proactive

Barrier vs solution

Free up resources to be proactive

Focus on what can be seen

Celebrate success

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 201416 |

• Engage a project sponsor- crocodile

• Inform the sponsor

• Equip the sponsor

Get support

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 201417 |

Stakeholder analysis

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 201418 |

Strategy without evidence

Guesswork

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 201419 |

Use the tools at your disposal- fly– writing team– editors– web producers– web working group

Use all resources -fly

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 201420 |

• A multifaceted approach to managing and improving web content

• Value added content management production

• Editorial calendar

• Content strategy meeting

• Futures meeting

• Content life cycle

• Hold on to best content

Flexibility or Fly some more

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 201421 |

Growing up

Wendy grows in Neverland but doesn’t grow in one bound

You must grow up but only when you are ready

Choose your battles

In WHO two steps forward, one step back

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 201422 |

• Neverland doesn’t just exist for children

• Winning may require multiple approaches

• Take paths and tools that are right for you

• Step by step

• Watch your stakeholders:• stop the captain• feed the crocodile

Going home

Confab Europe – 29 Sep – 1 Oct 201423 |

Questions?

strebelc@who.int

@c_strebel